Overhead door



Sept `16, 1941.

D. GALLGHER ETAL OVERHEAD DOOR Filed Nov. fs.v 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet \lSept 16, l941- D. GALLA/.GHER Erm. 2,255,769

OVERHEAD ADoon Filed Nov. 6, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Peremed sept. 1e,194i "UNITED STATES PATENT OFI-IcaA l saumon onooit DanielGallagherandFlarrW.Riverman,

Appueeuen November mass, sei-w No. somos 1 claims. (ci. :en -19) 'Ihisinvention relates to overhead doors, and has particular reference to animprovement in voverhead doors of the rigid type which are adapted toopen upwardly and assume a substantially horizontal overhead positionwhen fully opened.

In general, the object of the present invention 4is to provide animproved overhead door for garages and the like, the door and itsoperating l mechanism being of inexpensive. sturdy construction, andwherein the weightof the door is counterbalanced so that little manualeffort is required in the opening and closing thereof.

A particular object of the present invention is to provide an improvedoperating mechanism for overhead doors of the rigid type. which willhold the door either in completely opened or complete.. ly closedpositions with sumcient force to prevent rattling, and which willcounterbalance the weight of the door when the latter is being closed lor opened.

A further object is to provide an improved bearing and lever arm for thedoor operating mechanism which will reduce wear and maintain the door inproper augment at all times.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent as thedescription proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

which:

adapted to run on the tracks 8. The rollers 5 carry the upper end of thedoor in its movement from opened position to closed position, and viceversa.

A bearing 6 is mounted, preferably on the door frame, at each side ofthe door at a height intermediate the top and bottom of the frame. 'I'hebearing 6 is illustrated as bolted or otherwise securely fastened to theinside ofthe frame I. Each bearing 6 carries a pivoted lever arm 1.

The lever arm 1 has three parts preferably formed integrally from asingle steel rod of a size suitable for a proper ilt in the bearing 6.One arm of the lever 1 is provided with an extension 8 directed at rightangles to the central portion contained within the bearing 8. 'Ihe otherend 84 of lever 1 is directed substantially opposite from the extension8 and is also at right angles with the central portion or journalcontained within the bearing 6. The extensions 8 are pivotally attachedto the respective lower corners of the door 2 by means of brackets I0.If desired,

Figures 1 and 2 are sectional views showing the doorv in opened andclosed positions, respectively. Figure 3 is a. sectional view showingthe door in a partly opened position.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line I-l of Figure1 with the door in opened position.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as Figure '4, Vbut withthe door in closed position.

bearing and lever arm with a portion of the bearing broken away.

Figure 'I is a perspective view showing the door construction.

theuppercornersofthe'doorlcarryrollersl Figure 6 is a fragmentaryenlarged view of a y provision may be made for adjusting the combinedlength of lever arm 1 and extension 8 by making 8 of a tubularconstruction to t over the lever 1. The lever 1 and the. extension 8 mayf be integrally united, with the lever 1 extending a sufllcient distanceout of the tube 8 to give the desired length. This construction admitsof greater flexibility for application to doors 'of different sizes.

It is important to note that the two arms of the lever 1 are disposed atan angle of less than 180 with respect to each other. is bestillustrated in Figures 1 to 3, and its purpose will presently appear, asthe descriptiontion is that arm 8 shall assume a rest position in overcenter relation to the bearing i when the i door is in the open positionof Figure l, and that arm 8 shall assume a rest position in over centerrelation to the bearing l when the door is in the closed position ofFigure 2.

The chain l2 is attached -by any suitable adjustable means to the endportion 9 of the lever arm 1. The chain i2 secures one end of the springil which is attached at its other end tothe bracket I4 on the lowerportion of the door frame.

This angularity The pivot and spring mechanism are the same on bothsides of the door opening.

As illustrated in Figure 1, the downward inclination of the track 3 issuiicient to bring the door 2 to rest in a substantially horizontalposition parallel with the ceiling I5, thus allowing a maximum ofclearance under the open door. Y 'I'he downward inclination of the track3 also causes the door totendgtostay in openedposition when it has beenmov'ed 'to that'l position: .It isffn'oted,

also in Figure 1 that when the door is in opened position'the extension8 on the lever arm I has swung to an over center position and is nollonger vertical, whereby the weight of the lower portion of the doortends to rotate thelever armf'l.. ina

ment as fall within the spirit and scope of the l appended claims.

Having now described our invention and in what. mannerrthe samefmaybevulsed, what we claimvasnew and desire to pi'otectwbyiLetters Patentis:

-. 1. In an overhead door, a door frame for said Adoor, 'a p air oftracks extending from adjacent theupper portion of said door frame,supporting counter-clockwise direction, thereby also exert-ii ing aforce tending to keep .thedoorin fullyr opened position. The desiredangularityof the` extension 8 in the openedV position of the doorzis f ndetermined by the angular relationship of the extension 8 with respectto the endf portion 9 and should be such that extension 8 assumessubstantially the position illustrated when the end portion 9 isdirected downwardly in substantially vertical position by the tension ofspring I3.

To close the door from the position shown in Figure l, it is necessaryto exert. an outward pull on the door to raise the extension 8 overA itstop dead center, whereupon the door' will swing outwardly anddownwardly, assuming the position shown inl Figure 3; As thevextension 8turns in a clockwise direction, as viewed in-Figures 1f and 3, theincreasingy mechanical advantage of the spring I3 on the end portion 9will effectively` counterbalance the weight of that part of the doorsupported by the extension `8'. By appropriately shiftingl the means` of "attachment o'f the chain I2 to the end portion 9, andadjusting thespring to the proper tension, a counterbalancing effect may be obtainedwhich will substantially' balance the weight of the door throughout' thewhole course of its travel from opened position to`- closed position,and vice versa. As the extension 8 continues to rotate clockwise duringYthe closing vof thedoor, the end portion 9 rotates v'into an overcenter position, as `shown in'Figure V2. As soon as the line oftensionof spring I3 passes the axis of the bearing 6, the-tension of the springacting through the end portion ilv tendsftok'eep the door in' the fullycled position. This is ani j important consideration to preventlooseness and of the spring I3 will have again'passed to the left ofbearing 6, as viewed in Figure 2, and the spring from that point on willexert its force in a direction tendingtoassist in opening the doorby-counterbalancing the weight thereof. i .f

A mechanical lfeature of importance in the meanson the. upper end ofsaid door carried by said tracks. a leverpivotally mounted intermediateits ends on each side of said frame, one arm of said lever'beingpivotally attached to the lower portion ofsaid door, the other arm ofsaid lever being attached to a tension means, saidimmrms Y of lsaidlever being disposed at an angle of subabove described operatingmechanismis the particular construction ofthe lever arm l"I and-bearing6. As illustrated in Figure 6, thebearing 6 I portion Illiesontheotherfside of the bearing v6.

'IIS

This 'construction balances the forces on the lever stantially less than,'the angle-between said arms being such that when said door is open thedoor carrying arm of said-lever `will' be disposed f' in an over centerposition beyond 'the vertical, yand when said door is closed saidtensioned arm will be disposedin an over center position beyond thevertical, whereby saiddoor willitend to remain in either' fully openedor fullyclosed position, and will be substantially counterbalanced inintermediate positions. f

2. In an overheaddor adapted to' assume-a vertical Iposition when'closed andan elevated, substantially horizontal position when open,guide means for carrying the upper 'endof said door inasubstantially'horizontal path; aV lever pivoted at either' side of saiddoor and having a door supporting arm pivotally connected to the lowerportion of said door so that when said door is in fully opened positionsaid arm is in an over center `position beyond the vertical, and atension means acting on an arm of `said lever to lcounterbalance theweightof the door-'in intermediate y positions, said two arms ofsaidlever being disposed'at an 'angle of substantially less than 180,said tension-means assuming an over center position fwith respect tothepivot point of-'said lever when' said door is fully closed, whereby whensaid 'door is fully opened it tends to remainopen, and

when said door is fully closed it tends to remain closed.

3. In an overhead door ofv thetype adaptedto assume av vertical positionwhen closed and a hor-- izontal position' when open, a tensioned leveran over center position whenV said door is, closed Y to hold it closed,said tensioning 'meansficou'nterf balancing Ythe` weight of the doorinintermediate positions. 'ff' l 4." In an op'eratin"gm'echariisni` forlan overhead door of the type which-assumes avvertic'al posi y tionwhenclosedv and an overhead horizontal p osition when'open; a bearingadapted:to 'b'effse-l` curedto a door frame', a 'unitary operating 'lever`having one end thereof'pivotally'fconnectedtoa arm to counterbalancesaid door; A'said arm being" through said bearing and termiiiatingjinanand spring-tensioning means-'attached to Eidg formed on said lever at anang-Ie sbstant less than 180 so that the closing'friovenit lof i saiddoor will cause said spring tensioning-means assume an elevated,substantially horizontal position when open, a guide means for carryingthe top of said door in a. path inclined slightly downwardly from the4horizontal as said door is moved to open position, and a. lever pivotedat one side of said door for carrying a bottom portion of said door,said lever being pivotally attached to said door so that when said dooris in fully opened position'said lever will assume an over centerposition beyond the vertical thereby tending to retain said door in saidfully opened position.

6. In an overhead door, a guide means to carry the top of 'said door ina substantially horizontal path of travel; a lever having a bearingintermediate its ends; said lever having' a door supporting arm'pivotally connected to a lower portion of said door, an offset portionforming a journal in said bearing, and a second arm having a. tensionImeans applied thereto; said second arm deviating angularly from thedirection of said door supporting arm substantially less than 180; andsaid two arms and offset portion being formed integrally.

7. In a door operating mechanism, a bearing adapted to be secured to adoor frame, a unitary operating lever comprising a door operating arm,

Y a spring operated arm oiset from and at an angle of substantially lessthan 180 to said door operating arm, and an offset portion integrallyconnecting said arms and forming a journal therefor in said bearing.

DANIEL GALLAGHER. FRANK W. RIVERMAN.

